In December, Congress passed an omnibus appropriations bill that includes the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act, a move designed to close existing loopholes in land trust easement donations that have been exploited by investors and that take advantage of a program designed to encourage citizens to voluntarily conserve land.
Read MoreThe North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) recently awarded $500,000 toward the development of Boone Gorge Park. This park and one-mile section of the Middle Fork Greenway (MFG) is currently in the design, engineering, and permitting phase, and will connect to Watauga Medical Center and the Boone Greenway.
“We are so excited to have the continued support of the state for the greenway,” says MFG Director Wendy Patoprsty. “Every dollar that is given to the MFG over the next year will match the PARTF grant and a few other state grants going towards putting the next mile of trail on the ground.”
Read MoreThe Ashe County Board of Commissioners and the Board of Aldermen of the Town of West Jefferson unanimously approved resolutions to endorse the Northern Peaks State Trail (NPST) at their recent meetings. The NPST will be approximately 40 miles long and have trailheads in Ashe and Watauga Counties. It was authorized by the NC General Assembly in 2019.
Read MoreBlue Ridge Conservancy and the Middle Fork Greenway partnered with Western Youth Network to distribute helmets to local youth through a grant from NCDOT’s Bicycle Helmet Initiative. BRC and MFG staff visited WYN’s after school program last week, handing out a total of 50 helmets and assisting with fitting and safety education.
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